A last-16 showdown with England will not faze Slovakia manager Francesco Calzona, who has gone from coffee salesman to defying the odds at Euro 2024.
The Italian knows his side will be underdogs in Gelsenkirchen on Sunday, but he has been written off his whole career and will relish a shot at causing a major upset.
Calzona was a coffee sales rep for a family-run business when he began coaching amateur teams more than 20 years ago. He has steadily carved himself a coaching career which now puts him on collision course with England after Slovakia secured a spot in the knockout stage by finishing third in Group E, courtesy of a 1-1 draw with Romania on Wednesday.
A long-time assistant of former Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri at Napoli, Calzona has got Slovakia this far in style in what is his first job as a manager.
He promised before the tournament to play “beautiful football” and stunned Belgium by beating them 1-0 in their opening game before going on finish the group stage with four points.
“This team has quality,” said Slovakian journalist Lukas Vrablik. “I have been watching Slovakia since 2004 and this is probably the strongest team we have had since then, even if we don’t have Marek Hamsik anymore.
“The players will feel that England are there for the taking and they can surprise [them].”
Slovakia’s players will feel that England are there for the taking
There was scepticism in Slovakia when Calzona was hired in 2022 — and he joked after Wednesday’s draw with Romania how “no one would even bet a Euro on us” back then.
Legendary Slovakia midfielder Hamsik, who is part of Calzona’s backroom staff, backed his appointment after working with him at Napoli, where he was an assistant boss.
Calzona’s work has not gone unnoticed, with Napoli appointing him as their manager for the end of a disastrous season for them in Serie A.
Calzona has impressed in the way he has changed Slovakia’s style to a more adventurous one.
Just like his mentor Sarri, who was a banker before moving into football, Calzona is starting to get the recognition many believe he deserves.
“We both started from the bottom,” says Calzona. “The difference is that he is a great coach and I am just now emerging at these important levels.
“I have yet to establish myself at these levels, while he is already a coach of important European calibre.”
If Slovakia are to upset England on Sunday, it is likely to be with their speed on the counter. Both full-backs have permission to bomb on and the left flank is their biggest weapon.
Full-back David Hancko, who has been linked with a host of Premier League clubs, is dangerous on the overlap and the pace of winger Lukas Haraslin will be a threat. Forward Ivan Schranz has also caught the eye with two goals so far.
“At previous tournaments, Slovakia were kind of cautious,” said Vrablik. “Right now, they are more offensive.
“They try to play out from the back, they try to press quite high. It’s not a crazy attacking style, but they play with more courage than they used to. I don’t think they will park the bus against England. They will think England are there for the taking.”
Slovakia have a strong spine, starting with Newcastle goalkeeper Martin Dubravka. He has enjoyed an impressive tournament and ahead of him captain Milan Skriniar is a rock. The centre-back had a difficult season after leaving Inter Milan for Paris Saint-Germain, but it has not impacted his performances for Slovakia.
Ahead of him is their star player, Napoli midfielder Stanislav Lobotka, who has flourished after being reunited with Calzona.
“He is a great defensive midfielder, very much in the style of Rodri,” said Vrablik. “He is great at breaking through the lines and playmaking.”
Lobotka provides Slovakia with the passing range to counter effectively. Either side of him are Ondrej Duda and Juraj Kucka, who look to get forward and support the front-three.
The pair showed their threat against Romania on Wednesday, with Duda scoring after an excellent cross from Kucka.
If there is a concern for Slovakia, then it is the age of the team, which is one of the oldest at these Euros. Their midfield has an average age of 31.6 and that will be an area England can look to exploit.
